Challengers say they'll focus on issues, but long tenures will be a subtext

GREENFIELD — Candidates challenging longtime incumbents say they’ll focus more on issues this spring than pointing out to voters that up to a quarter century in office is too long.

The Republican primary election ballot has several contested races in which the incumbents are seeking a third, fourth or even seventh term.

And while challengers say there’s certainly a legitimate argument that their opponents have been in office far too long, they’d rather focus on issues that would show the community why they have fresh ideas for county spending, roadwork and more.

“I think 24 years is probably long enough, but there are other things that concern the people,” said Bruce Fleming, who is challenging six-term county Councilman Bill Bolander. “Obviously, the people who are voting don’t care about shortening peoples’ terms because they wouldn’t leave them in 24 years.”

New Palestine residents Fleming and Bolander will face off in a District 4 race to represent the southwestern part of the county.

Fleming says he’d much rather focus his campaign on local government spending and finding ways to make county government more transparent to the public.

But Bolander says his track record for keeping the county fiscally strong will speak for itself, and experience should count for something.

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